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Oh hey! I got a copy of that book a couple of years ago, when I was contemplating restarting on piano again. At the time, I thought I might try to branch out and learn jazz. But then, sort of by chance, I found a (classically trained) teacher I liked. She has assigned me a steady diet of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. And so, Oscar Peterson got placed on the back burner.

Since then, I've occasionally broken the book out to practice sight-reading. I feel like I must be doing something wrong though -- everything I did just sounded kind of flat and un-jazzy. I don't think I can figure jazz out on my own, so I'm glad that you guys have started a thread on this book.

I might need to go look this book up. Oscar Peterson is one of my favourite artists of all time and both Night Train and Canadiana Suite are pretty high up on my list of albums I'd take to the desert island with me.

I've seen this book mentioned a lot and it intrigues me! Can anyone share how it's structured and what it entails? I'd be highly interested in joining the study group, but I just haven't seen it around anywhere.

I've seen this book mentioned a lot and it intrigues me! Can anyone share how it's structured and what it entails? I'd be highly interested in joining the study group, but I just haven't seen it around anywhere.

The book has three sections: It begins with "exercises and minuets." Each pair of exercise/minuet introduces some particular concept (like the boogie woogie pattern). These are short (each pair takes up just a page). The minuet seems to be a slightly harder variation on the exercise. Then there is an "Etudes and Pieces" section. These are a little longer (a pair spans 2-3 pages), and they seem more complex. The third section is another set of (multi-page) exercises.

Here is an excerpt from the preface blurb that I found motivating:

Originally Posted By: Oscar Peterson

... when a person, whether studied or not classically speaking, attempts to enter the jazz world from a playing aspect, he often finds himself hamstrung by many varied musical inadequacies. Very few people truly ever attribute their lack of ability to the proper cause, I feel. Many of them blame what they term their creative inability to conceive jazz phrases, without stopping to realize that a jazz technique in many ways is a completely new form of technique when compared with the classical.

I still feel pretty much hamstrung, but I hadn't really worked honestly and sincerely on these jazz exercises yet.

Are the excercises, etudes, and pieces progressively in more difficult order, or do they all just present a new idea? Is it something a beginner to jazz could work with, or is it more for an advanced student looking for technical work?

Well, looks like we're off to a flying start!The funny thing is that I am not a huge jazz fan by any stretch of the imagination - but I do love Oscar! When I saw the book, - and yes, it really IS a beginner, or at least low level book - I just couldn't resist.

I think we'll really get rolling in about 10 days or so when everyone's books start arriving from Amazon!

_________________________ ABF Recitals 18-44Another thing you learn along the way is that the music will still be there when you are ready for it. There's no reason to rush. JimF

YEAH!!! I just got notice that it shipped. I like the idea of working on the same lessons and discussing them. I love the idea of recording ourselves. I haven't managed to record myself up to this point. I did do some digital filming (with my camera), but the sound quality was pretty poor. How did you record yourself, Pianosaurus?

CMohr, I have no idea how we're going to move ahead with this - post our successes? Comments? Ask each other questions? Maybe just encourage each other.

PianosaurusRex - nice recording - you say you did this a while back - do you feel you're making progress on it? I noticed you only played the first chord of the right hand in each bar - (at least that's how it sounded, I could be wrong) - however, that seems like a good idea as a "building step" for gradually working into the piece - while getting the left hand under control.

I did some work on Minuet N4 and I have to say I didn't care for it much. I think n. 2 is a very pretty little piece. 3 is a bit more challenging, but I've been focusing more on my Purcell "AIR" and getting dynamics into Vinciquerra - Lilla than working in this book.

I don't know when I'll get around to doing recording. I have to move the computer over to the piano and last time I tried undocking it I ran into problems... grrrr. Now that I know how to do it all, maybe it woun't be so irritating. In the end the set up /connection was quite easy, I used Audacity and then converted to Mp3.

Maybe next weekend.

_________________________ ABF Recitals 18-44Another thing you learn along the way is that the music will still be there when you are ready for it. There's no reason to rush. JimF

I started playing 1 week after you . I had never played piano before that, though I play clarinet and guitar.

I'm a pretty clear beginner! This book is, aimed at "young pianists" (in the preface) ...and I take that "young" as being "new"

There are 14 Exercises and Minuets, 10 Etudes and Pieces and 10 more advanced exercises at the end of the piece. It seems to me that the level of difficulty increases as you go along, but it doesn't look intimidating.

Hope that helps.

_________________________ ABF Recitals 18-44Another thing you learn along the way is that the music will still be there when you are ready for it. There's no reason to rush. JimF

That is a really nice recording, PianosaurusRex. I am so excited for my book to come. It hasn't even shipped yet

Thank you very much!

Originally Posted By: GlassLove

How did you record yourself, Pianosaurus?

I used my laptop, which is positioned right on top of my Digital. I'm going to try recording my acoustic tomorrow, I think I'll have to place my laptop a bit further away.

Originally Posted By: casinitaly

PianosaurusRex - nice recording - you say you did this a while back - do you feel you're making progress on it? I noticed you only played the first chord of the right hand in each bar - (at least that's how it sounded, I could be wrong) - however, that seems like a good idea as a "building step" for gradually working into the piece - while getting the left hand under control.

Hah, I'm definitely making progress. I play it pretty much the same now, except I can do it a bit faster if I'd like. Also, with each exercise I learn, the others become much more manageable!

And this exercise actually only has a single right hand chord each measure, I think you might be confused with minuet #6 which has several chords over the same left hand.I'm working on minuet #6 now, and it's pretty tricky, I'm not gonna post a recording of that yet!

What you said kind of described the way I did learn exercise #6 though. At first when I still had trouble with it, I only played the right hand and the first note of the left hand in each measure.After I got all those chords down it was really easy to add the remaining left hand notes.It's a trick my teacher told me to use, and it paid off really well!

Originally Posted By: Howser

Hi everyone,

Out of interest and as a guide if I should get the book, those that already have the book, what grade/level are you?

I also started late December, like many of us here. I think the book will suit you well.The exercises get progressively harder, so I'm sure there's plenty of useful material in it for you!

Hehe, just a coincidence in my case. While my piano was indeed a gift, it wasn't necessarily a Christmas gift.

Anyway, I just returned from my lesson. My teacher said I did all my Peterson exercises really well, but she wants me to continue them for one more week because I still played with a slight amount of hesitation here and there.Also she said that after that, I'd be done with them for a while and we'd move on to Czerny for a bit.

I still have the minuets to all exercises I did so far though, so I still have plenty of Peterson material to keep me going for a while.

Howser - I'm not a true beginner, intermediate I suppose, but I just started the jazz thing last November. I do take lessons and anything I can get my hands on to help me through this journey is all gravy.